Wheel-cultivator



(No Model.) v

. 2'Sheets--Sheetl 1. E. P. LYNCH.

WHEEL GULTIVATOR.-

Patented May 9, 1882.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. PLYNGH.

Y WHEEL GU'LTIVAITGR. No. 257,730.` Patented May 9, 1882..

N. PETERS, Pham-lithograph, wahngmn, D. (r

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD P. LYNoH, or DAVENPORT, Iowa.

WH EEL-CULTIVATQR. Y

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,730, dated May I9, 1882.

` appncanon'med February s, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom 'it may concern:

Beit known that I, EDWARD l?. LYNCH, of Davenport, in the county of vScott and State of Iowa, have invented certain Improvements in Gultivators and Similar Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to that cla-ss of wheeled cultivators and other agricultural `machines wherein springs are applied to raise, or aid in raising, the beams or drag-bars by which the shovels are carried above an operative position, to remove the shovels or plows from the ground. v i

The object of the invention is to suspend the shovels in the ground and permit a free and easy motion therein when inaction and to limit the descent of the shovels. y

To this end the invention consists in combining with the beam and attendant parts a spring,which comes into action as the shovels enter the ground, to limit the descent of the beam, in combining this spring with the usual lifting-spring in such manner that the two act alternately, and in various details hereinafter described.

The invention is susceptible 'of embodiment in different forms, the drawings representing the preferred constructions. l

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view, illustrating one side of a cultivator with my device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section `through the armand socket 'upon which the springs operate. Figs. 8, 4, and 5 are side elevations, illustrating modified constructions of my dcvices.

The devices may be applied to cultivators or other machines of different constructions, `but are designed more particulary for the ordinary ample, as that represented in the patent to E. A. Wright, June 7, '1881, No. 242,497, wherein the beams are coupled to the ends of an arched 'axle sustained on wheels and provided with a i represented in the drawings. s

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A represents the arched axle,having its ends extended horizon- U tally to receive the supporting-wheels B. 5o C representsa tubular box or coupling,wh'ich may be made in one piece, as usual, mounted twohorse Walking-cultivatorssnch, for extongue or draft-frame, and such is the m achine loosely on the axle and provided with studs a, to which the plow-beams M, or heads thereon, are journaled, as usual, so that by turning the box forward the beam and its shovels may be elevated, while at the same time the beam is t allowed an independent lateral motion. On the inner end ofthe tubular box there is formed or secured rigidly an upright arm, D, having on the forward side a vertical socket', E, closed 6e at the bottom, and open at the top to receive a spiral spring, F, the upper end of which rises above the socket, as shown.

To the upper end ofthe arm D, I pivot atb an upright rod, G, the upper end of which slides through a guide-plate, H, secured to the upright portion of the main axle. Atits Vlower end the pivoted rod is provided with a rigid forwardly-extending finger, I,in position to act upon and compress the spring F as the coup 7o ling is turned backward with the descending beam.

. Around the body ofthe rod G there is mounted a strong spiral spring, J, bearing at the upper end beneath the fixed plate H and atthe 7.5 lower end against a pin, K, seated in the rod, and urging the rod downward. The parts are so proportioned and disposed that, as the shovels'in l descending closely approach an operative position, the rod, the pivotlb, and the eenter ot' the'axle stand in line, so that the spring J and` the rod are inoperative. As soon as the beam and shovel are-raised, turning the box forward and throwing the pivot i) forward, the rod, urgeddownward by the spring, tends to force the arn and coupling forward, thereby elevating the beam. During this operation `the spring F has little or no practical effect.

When, however, the beam and shovels are lowered beyond the point at which the spring begins its lifting action, so that the pivot b passes behind the plane ofthe axle and rod, thespring F islsubjected tofacompressing action bythe tin ger I, and at once resists any further descent e of the shovels, suspending them` with anelastieyielding action inthe ground. The shovels W thus" suspended may be raised, lowered, and moved laterally when in actionlby the attendant, as demanded'in practice, with great ease. The suspending action ofthe spring F may be roc counteracted to a limited extent by a downward pressure of therod as the latter is car-V It will be seen that under my system of construction the elevating and the suspending springs are practically independentlof each other, and that they operate alternately, each Vdiminishing its effect as the effect of thcother increases. This feature I desire to secure broadly, as itis manifest to the skilledmechanic that the devices may be modified in form and arrangement greatlywith'out in fact materi` ally changing the mode of action or.` passingV beyond the limits of my invention. It' desired,

thearm D may be made adjustable forward' and backward-around the pipe-box4 to varyfthe depth of the shovels inthe ground. Thesa'me end may be also secured byintroducinglan-ad`` zo justable screwv through the lower-end ofthe socket, as shown, or through the finger-I, to act upon andvary the-tensionofspring-F.

Referring to Fig. 3, the arrangement.thereinf represented -is essentially the Ysameasthat shown in they precedinggures, the main'ditference being that in place of providing' the.

arm D with a socket to receive the. springit is-provided with an adjustable standard or spindle, L, upon and.around,which-lhespring F is mounted. end threaded and seated ina lugior projection4 on the arm D, and is provided above the .thread-` ed portion with a shoulder or enlargement, d,-

to form a seat :for thelspring. Theshoulder d" is made ot' angular form in order to formzabearing for a wrench or other tool, by meansl of which thespindle may bescrewed upward" or downward, so as to vary thetensionot' the.

spring F and the force exertedv thereby.

Referring to Fig. 4, the arrangement repre- 1 sented differs from .those previously described',.

in that the box or coupling, instead of being` made of tubular form in one piece, isniadc of two` parts or halves applied to the upper and?. under side of the axle-an arrangement which?v The ging. beam and'` the larm D, connected therewith,

is common and well known in the art. studs or journals a, upon which the plow-beam or coupling turns, are formed onthe upper.J and" lower sidesof the half-boxes. The arm D is-'secured in this case rigidly to the upper side of thc plow-beam or the-coupling by which the plow,- beam is connected to the boxes, the arm being provided, as in the preceding cases, with an The arrangement represented in Fig. 5is dev signed'to avoid the difficulty last mentioned. It differs 'from the arrangement represented in Fig. 4, in that the upright arm D is formed Vrigidly upon yor secured rigidly to the upper halt of the'coupling-bcx, whereby the downward pressure of the spring is thrown directly Ihe spindle LV has its lower lging beam, aspring. to raise the sameout of action and a springto suspend the same in an ceived that when the beam is in an operative iposition the spring J assists to urge it downward,while the sprin g F, on the contrary, tends to urge it outward. An equilibrium exists when the beam is in an operative position, the :one'spring tending at such time to urge the ybe'amdownwarthwhile the other tends to urge it upward. When the beam is urged either lupward or downward from an operative-posi- -jtion the action of one orthe otherof the springs @becomes the greater. Itlwill be understood thatlthe depressing action ofthe springJ con- ?tin'ues until'the beam is lifted to a very slight extent above'itsoperative position, after which the spring changes-its action and tendsto urge i, the :beam upward.

Having thus describedmy invention, what JAI claim is ]..I"nf combination with a vertically-swinginglplow-beam, a'lifting-spring and a suspendling-spring, arranged to operate substantially as described and shown.

2. In combination withY a vertically-swingiloperative position, the two arranged to operate j alternately.

3. Inreombination withtheplow-beam aud thefnpright arm connected thereto, the rod pivotedtosaid arm andzprovided withthe iingerythe guide for the rod, and the two springs appliedsubstantially as shown.

4. The combination ofthe beam and its rigid arm, the movable rod pivot-edito the arm, and fthe compression-spring located between the fred and arm forward-ot' their connecting-pivot, to suspend the beam 1n an operative'position,

substantially as described.

5. Incombinationwith the vertically-swingithe rod J,jointed to said arm, the spring F, to `limit the descent of the beam, located directly 1between the arm and rod, forward of their connecting-joint, and the adjustable spring- :sustainingspindle L, as described and shown.

6. The combination ofthe beam, the upright :arm connected rigidly therewith, the movable rod pivoted to said arm, the suspending-spring f F, located between the arm and rod, to sustain the beam in anoperative position, and the adjustablev spindle L, mounted and varranged'to support the spring.

7. The coupling-box for a cultivator,l provided with the upright arm D, and a spindle, L, adapted to support a spiralspring, as described and show-n.

S. In combination with a vertically-moving beam, two springs, substantially as described, one tending to raise and the other to depress IOO IIO

IIS

the beamwhen the latter is in an operative whereby the beam is held by spring-pressure positon. b u from either rising or falling, as set forth.

9. n com Aination with the vertiea y-swing ing beam, the spring attachment constructed, EDWARD P' LYNCH' 5 substantially as shown, with two springs,whieh Witnesses:

tend one to raise and the other to depress the A. L. SKEELS, beam when it is in an operative position,` NATHL. FRENCH. 

